It’s perhaps difficult to imagine that in the late 18th Century, the picturesque hills of Dartmoor were not well thought of; the few Georgian visitors this area did receive passed through quickly, finding little pleasantness in its baron landscapes. It wasn’t until the mid-1800s that this perception was changed by the work of Victorian artists capturing these dramatic landscapes in stunning works of art. Now it is seen as one of the South West’s finest natural beauty spots and for many Devon artists the allure of Dartmoor is an unmissable subject for their work. One such artist is Simon Fowler who in July will present his own homage to these tors and valleys in his exhibition. Having recently moved to Devon, Dartmoor and the surrounding landscapes have proven an abundant source of inspiration for Simon. New scenes have led to new practice with a transition from canvas to board, and the addition of a new range of Italian pigments to his stock of oils, adding a new vibrancy to his work allowing him to push his colour palette to new levels. The collection of paintings in this exhibition focuses on Simon’s desire to learn the geography and orientation of the Tors in the southern half of Dartmoor and learn how the climate varies and alters the experience on Dartmoor, sometimes in minutes, a walk in one direction in pleasant sunny conditions is not necessarily the same on the return. ‘The complexity of the climate there really does affect the senses, in that one can feel exhilarated by the wide open spaces and huge skies in one instant, to, rushing for cover, sometimes with a feeling of vulnerability and a sense of being a very small insignificant life form in a vast historically rich and diverse environment.’ “I feel I have a strong bond with the landscape we live in and I try to reflect that in my art. The joy of painting is the learning and after 45 years of working in oils, it is pleasing to know that the learning never ends.”